Can opening device



Dec. 14, 937l. H. B. LLOYD 2,02,36*5

CAN OPENING DEVICE Filed Jan. 8, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I I I F/ f /0 3o i 1g Z9 32 Y .Z7 ai i 33 /0 *25 3? za I I I I \I\ IHIIIIIIIIImIIIIIIIIIIs ngz Dec., 14, 1937i. H. B. LLOYD 2,102,365

.CAN OPENING DEVICE Filed Jan. 8, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 50 lines I3-I3 of Figure 12,

Patented Dec. 14, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to a .device for opening cans containing liquid contents.

An object of my device is to provide means attachable to a can to allow venting of the same.

A further object of my invention is to provide such means which will allow formation of such a vent without the necessity of auxiliary parts.

A further object of my invention is to provide such means so that a vent can be formed in the can merely by the exertion of a rm downward hand or foot pressure.

A further object of my invention is to provide means associated with the vent means to conveniently form necessary air holes for providing pressure to the liquid in the can.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a modied form, means for causing the puncturing means to act as a funnel.

A further object of my invention is to provide all of the above mentioned means in a construction of great simplicity which can be manufactured at a very reasonable cost.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a form of the device,

Figure 2 is a sectional view of Figure 1 taken along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1,`

Figure 3 is a further sectional view of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a plan view 0'1" a form ofthe device,

Figure 5 is a sectional view of Figure 4 taken along the lines 5-5 of Figure 5,

Figure 6 is a sectional view of Figure 4 taken along the lines 6-6 of Figure 4,

Figure '7 is a further sectional view of Figure 4,

Figure 8 is a plan view of a modification, Figure 9 is'a sectional view taken along the lines 9-9 of Figure 8,

Figure 10 is a further sectional view of Figure 8,

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken along the lines II-II of Figure 8,

Figure 12 is a modification,

Figure 13 is a sectional View taken along the Figure 14 is a further sectional view of Figure 12, i

Figure 15 is a sectional view taken along the lines I5-I5 of Figure 12, and

55 Figures 16 to 18 illustrate a further modiiication of my device, Figure 17 being a sectional view of Figure 16 along the lines I1-I'I.

The cans containing liquid such as oils and the like necessitate the use of auxiliary tools for opening the same. 5 f

It is usually necessary to provide an opening wedge for distributing lubricating oils, which wedges are adapted to puncture the can top, providing a vent for the fluid therein. Various forms of these auxiliary tools are usedv as a separate 10;

piece from the can itself.

It is the principal object to provide in my' in-.' vention means attachable to the can, which means can be utilized to form a suitable vent for-'pouring the uid in the can, and which means lji` can be made to form the vent through direct pressure, and without the necessity of using any outside devices or tools.

To attain this end, I provide efficient puncturing deviceswhich are attached to the can at all 20.

times, so that it is only necessary for the operator to use this device which is already in place for the puncturing operation, without the necessity oi seeking any other tools.

I have used the character IU to designate gen- 25 erally the top wall of the can, having side walls I I The puncturing member I2 is attached to the can top IIl by means of a small metal stripy or wire I3, which member is soldered to the can at one extremity thereof, as at I4, and to the punc- 3Q,

turing member at I5. The member I2 is enlarged at |360, and includes the upwardly struck blades I6, the pair of which converge upwardlyto the point I1' (see Figure 2). These vblades I6' are struck by means of an expanded die or can be 3 5 attached in any suitable manner.

The arcuate extension I8 extends upwardly as shown in Figure 2 to about the position shown.

A pair of legs I9 are bent upwardly from the member I2. A further arcuate member V2E! is also 4Q struck out of the member I2 as shown at the rear thereof.

Normally the device rests with the cutting edge upward as shown in Figure 2, and if desired, a metal or other guard, indicated by the dotted lines 2I in Figure 1, can be used to protect the point or to protect other cans when shipping the same.

l It will be understood, of course, throughout the descriptions that the points can be positioned 59 downwardly also, if desired. l u In operation, the member I2 is reversed by twisting the wire I3 as shown in Figure 3 and brought down against the top of the Vcan so that the legsIS will bear thereagainst. First, ythe the bevelled portions 29.

member I2 is struck a sharp blow by means of the foot or the hand at about the point 22 causing penetration of the can top I0, leaving the opening 23 as shown in Figure 3 which provides the necessary air opening for supplying air pressure to the contents of the can.

Next, the extremity of the member I2 is struck:

y of the strain. The contents of the can can then be poured out through the opening 21 (see Figure 1), and it will not be necessary to remove the member I2, since the contents will be poured through this opening which is left therein.

The legs I9 provide a rigid piece from which to operate the cutting blades so that kthe forward part Yof the cutting parts will not be bent, and will cut as a rigid member.

Figure 4 illustrates a modification in which the member 21 is channel shape as shown more clearly in Figure 5, and which member is attached to the can at the points 28 and 29 by means of the fairly stiff wire 30. The member 21 terminates in the sharp point 28, which point is the extremity of The portions 29 are sharpened to a cutting edge along their edges.

The member 21 includes the outwardly struck arcuate portion 3I. In operation, the member 21 is placed vertically as shown in Figure 7, with the point against the inside edge of the can, and it will be held in this position by virtue of the relative stiffness of they wire 30. It is then struck a sharp blow at the top 32 in the direction of the arrow 33. This drives the point downwardly into the can as shown in Figure '1, and the mennber 3| forces away the metal at 34, thereby, again, forming a suitable vent for pouring the liquid. When the can is tipped for pouring, the liquid will be poured out through the channel shape member 21 as indicated by the arrow 35. It will be seen that this provides a natural pouring spout for the can.

Of course, if desired, the same point 28 can be utilized to strike an air opening at first if necessary, and then the member 21 move to its proper position for forming the vent. In this case a longer wire 30 can be used.

A sharp blow with the foot or with a clenched hand is sufiicient to cause penetration at the various points mentioned in this description, since as soon asthe iine point penetrates, the balance of the shearing operation is greatly facilitated.

Figure 8 shows a plan view of a modified form in which the strip 36 is soldered to the can at 31 and terminates in the broadened portion 38, which includes the pair of upwardly struck legs 39. Securely aflixed to the strip 36 at 38 is the solid triangular member 40 which tapers from the v point 4I at the end thereof downwardly to the portion 38 of the strip 36, which point tapers outwardly a the extremity to the points 42 (see Figures 8 and 11)V so that in effect the entire member is `asolid triangle tapering to a common point.

A suitable guard 43 can be slipped over the member 40, if desired. VIn use, the strip 36 is bent over at thereby reversing the cutting point sov that it pointsl downwardly.

The legs 39l willbearv against thet'opof the can, and the device is struck downwardly in the direction of the arrow 45, therebymcausing penetration of the point 4I and therefsultant shearing 'along the top edge 46, whichwill cause an elongated vent to be formed;l Aiter lstriking and forming the vent, the yextremity is bent upwardly as indicated by the dotted lines 41 so that the contents of the can `Ican be poured out through the vent thus'formedi [An air-,,ope`ning can be formed by striking in a suitable spot by twisting the portion 36, if such is desired. It will be observed that the bending in this case when the member is struck occurs approximately above the legs 39 so the shearing member can function as a rigid piece.

A form similar to Figure 8 is illustrated in Figure 12. In this form, the member 48 is similarly a solid piece, somewhat similar to the member 40 shown in Figures 8 to 1l inclusive, with the exception that it is formed into an integral piece with the base and terminates in the upturned leg 49. The leg 49 includes the somewhat rounded portion 50.

It will be seen from` the section in Figure 15 that the triangular shape of the member 48 extends to the bottom of the same as mentioned. The member` 48 merges with the horizontal strip I, and the shoulders 52 are provided, which shoulders are adapted to merge together with the tapered triangular surfaces 53. The reason for this will be apparent in the description` of the operation of the device.

The portion 5I of the device is attached at 54 to the fairly stiff wire 55 which is attached at 56 to the top of the can I0. This wire is stiff, and yet pliable enough 'to allow twisting or any positioning of the same.

In use the member 48 is bent over rst to the position as shown by the dotted lines 51 in Figure 12with the point down. It is then given asharp blow at the end, which provides the air opening 58 (see Figure 14). It is then turned back to its original position, and the strip 55 is twisted as at 62, so the point will again be downward, and f point 60, which is made rather sharp, will penetrate through the metal and the shearing effect will readily take place along the sideV of the triangle formed by the sides 53 of the device and the vent will be cut with the entire base 6I passing beneath the top surface of the can as indicated in Figure 14, so that the entire cutting point will pass through the top of the can forming a large vent. As the downward motion vof the point is taking place, the shoulders 52 will also have the tendency of spreading the metal apart, thereby increasing the size of the vent.

It will be noted that the upturned leg 49 provides a base for insuring a rigid structure, and the rounded portion 50 will allow a convenient rolling motion thereon. It will be seen from this construction that the cutting device can -be positioned at any desired place, and the cutting operation take place in a very convenient manner.

If such is desired, a depression can be formed as at 63 in the top` of the can IU, which depression will receive the member 48, so that the point will not be too high up. 'I'his is merely an auxiliary construction, which can be used if necessary so that the cutting member can be positioned normally at a lower level.

The form shown in Figure 16 includes the rigid member 64 which is attached at 65 to the wire 66, which in turn is attached to the can top at 61. The member B4 includes the upwardly bent portion 68 which terminates in the horizontal portionY 69. The portion 69 includes the integral ears 10.

The cutting wedge 'H is received through its slot 12 by the vertical neck 68. The slot 'l2 is made fairly large so that the member 'H can be manipulated rather freely. A small raised portion 13 is formed on the portion 69. The mern- Y ber 'll tapers to the point 14, which point is the termination of the sides 15 which are bevelled to provide a cutting edge as shown.

The slot 16 is provided in the member 'Il so that the ears 1I) will slide therethrough in assembling the pieces.

A small point 11 can be provided as an integral extension of the member 64 at the rear therethrough. In operation the member 64 is raised as shown in Figure 18, and the member 'Il is slipped up over the vertical neck 68 and the horizontal neck 69 until it reaches the shoulder formed by the ears 10.

It will be understood that the opening 12 is made large enough to pass over the slightly raised portion 13. When the device is raised, it is in the position as shown in the solid lines in Figure 18 with the point 14 ready for the cutting operation. A sharp blow is then struck in the direction of the arrow 18 approximately at the position as shown, or if desired, the blow can be struck slightly rearwardly thereof. At the moment of impact, the point 14 will penetrate the top of the can I0, thereby shearing the same into a triangular vent, and the metal of the can will be carried down as indicated by the dotted lines at 19, and the device itself is also indicated by the dotted lines in this latter position. The metal is then cut away suitably so that a pouring vent is formed.

It will also be noted that the small point 11 will pimcture a small opening at to provide an air vent.

It will be understood, of course, that the striking surfaces can be rounded if desired in the case of striking with the hand, although a sharpV which is Very simple in operation since it merely uses the function of direct pressure, and which means are provided in a construction of great simplicity which can be manufactured at a very reasonable cost. n

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my inventionwithout departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. A can opening device comprising a fiat shearing member positioned to lie against the upper can top, and including a piercing point at the extremity thereof, vshearing surfaces tapering downwardly Vfrom said point, means for .attaching the shearing member tothecan, said shearing surfaces having an opening therebetween to allow pouring of a liquid therethrough.

2. A can-opening device comprising a flat shearing member positioned to lie against the upper can top, and including a piercing point at the extremity thereof, shearing surfaces tapering downwardly from said point, means for attaching the shearing member to the can, said shearing surfaces having an opening therebetween to allow pouring of a liquid therethrough, said shearing member including upstanding legs positioned rearwardly from said shearing surfaces to provide a rigid cutting base for said shearing surfaces.

-HAROLD B. LLOYD. 

